Tom Hanks is portraying Fred "Mr. Rogers" Rogers in a new movie and says:
"We never make fun of Fred. We slow down to listen to him," Hanks said following the film's screening. "It was always going to be, I think, deconstructing the myth of it to show he was a regular guy who went out for Chinese food. At the same time, there is this mystery. What's his motivation?""One of the most wonderful things, too, is he was actually an ordained minister who never mentioned God on his show," Hanks said.
There are so many ways to interpret Hanks' sentiment. I will channel my inner Ann Althouse and share a few possibilities. What do you think?
1. It's wonderful that Rogers was able to share the love of God without turning unbelievers off by mentioning God.
2. Some people look down on Christianity, but those people should recognize that Christianity inspires wonderful goodness even though Rogers didn't go out of his way to mention it.
3. It's wonderful that Rogers kept his beliefs to himself so we didn't have to hear about them.
4. It's wonderful that I, Tom Hanks, don't have to portray an active Christian whose accomplishments and beloved-ness are directly tied to acting out his faith.
5. It's wonderful that Rogers' legacy isn't tarnished by explicit references to his faith, which would be unpalatable in the modern era.
I'm sure there are more possible interpretations. I'm sure Hanks chose his words carefully.
